Man Dies After Complications Following Gastric Bypass Surgery

Medical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell have been instructed to investigate the death of a father-of-three who went into a Stafford hospital for weight-loss surgery but suddenly died following post-surgery complications.

Nadim Butt, from Stafford, in Staffordshire, had gastric bypass surgery at Royal Stoke University Hospital (formerly University Hospital of North Staffordshire) on 29th August 2014 but in the days following the procedure his condition rapidly declined and he died five days later from multi-organ failure.

The 48-year-old developed a post-operative bowel obstruction, causing his bowel to burst and the contents to leak into his abdomen. Medical evidence heard during the inquest says that this should have been spotted but he died days later of an infection.

During the two-day inquest into his death at Staffordshire Coroner’s Court, HM Coroner Mr I Smith, recorded a conclusion of neglect and raised several concerns regarding the standard of care. He also said there should be a report to prevent future deaths.

Nadim’s sister, Diba Butt instructed specialist medical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate the standard of care that Nadim received following his surgery.

Expert Opinion

“Nadim’s tragic death has left his wife without a husband and their children without a father. This was a complex operation and post-operative complications are not uncommon but doctors and nurses should be trained to recognise the symptoms and act quickly to prevent them from causing irreparable damage.

“Although nothing can turn back the clock and bring Nadim back, we hope that we can work with the family to obtain justice for them in his memory and help them to find the answers they are searching for so they can start the long process of coming to terms with his death.

“The family now hope that the hospital has taken the coroner’s concerns on board and has improved patient aftercare to ensure the same mistakes can’t and won’t happen again. Patient safety has to be all hospital’s number one priority at all times.”

Lydia Arntzen, Solicitor

Commenting after the inquest, Diba said: “Our entire family are absolutely devastated with what has happened. We have been waiting for over 18 months for answers as to whether Nadim’s death could have been prevented.

“It was extremely difficult for me to see my brother in so much pain and I felt completely helpless throughout the entire time he was in hospital.

“I would like to thank the Coroner for carrying out a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding Nadim’s death as it has gone some way to help my family understand what happened to him. I hope that the hospital are now able to take these findings on board to make sure that this does not happen to another family.

“Nadim went into hospital for a procedure that was meant to improve his life and most importantly his health but instead it was cruelly cut short.”
Nadim underwent his gastric bypass surgery on 29th August 2014. When he was taken to recovery on the ward, he continued to suffer with severe abdominal pain and at times was doubled over in pain, especially when he tried to walk and get out of bed.

Nadim was discharged from hospital on 1st September despite his excruciating pain, but once he got home, he continued with abdominal pain and at 6:00pm that evening, his family called for an ambulance to take him back to hospital.

He was given morphine to help with the pain, but it did not ease – the next day he continued to struggle with the pain and he was taken into surgery. Surgeons discovered an umbilical hernia which had caused a blockage in his bowel. His bowel had burst and waste had flowed into his stomach causing a severe infection. His family were told that they had cleaned the area and had given him antibiotics to treat the infection.

On 4th September his condition was critical and his kidney and liver function was poor and Shamila and his sister Diba were told by staff that he was going into multi organ failure and was being kept alive by a life support machine. He died on 5th September with his family by his side.

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